When shopping for disinfectant spray, most people head straight for the Clorox wipes or Lysol cans. It makes sense. They’re household names—we see their commercials and advertisements everywhere.
But Lysol and Clorox wipes aren’t the only disinfectant sprays on the market. In fact, there are
many products out there that are more effective and better for your health and the
environment.
Of course, we can’t rank them all in this post, so we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the top 5 disinfectant sprays, ending with the #1 disinfectant for commercial and residential use.
5 – Virex by Diversey (Hospital Grade)
First on our list is Virex by Diversy. This disinfectant, while safe for your home, is more commonly used in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and hotels. In other words, places where you can encounter a lot of viruses and bloodborne pathogens.
Virex does not only sanitize surfaces, killing viruses such as SARS and HBV, it also kills the organisms that cause odors and even gets rid of odors not associated with bacteria. Better still, it achieves this while staying environmentally friendly. That means it’s safe to use around
children and pets.
On the downside, while Virex has no abrasives, bleach, phosphates, or phosphorus (which can harm surfaces), it can harm certain plastics and painted surfaces. You’ll need to spot test on these types of surfaces to make sure it leaves no damage.
Product Breakdown
Price: $42.60 for a pack of 8, 32 oz (about 946.35 ml) bottles
Specific uses: Best if used on hard, inanimate, nonporous surfaces such as floors, walls, porcelain, and plastic surfaces in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, colleges, hotels, and other high traffic spaces.
Scented: Yes (Lemon).
Effectiveness: Kills 99.9% of viruses when used as directed.
Contact time: Allow product to penetrate and remain wet for 3 minutes. For Bloodborne
Pathogens allow surface to remain wet for HV-1 for 1 minute and for HEV and HEC, 5 minutes)
4 – Purell Multi-Surface Disinfectant Spray
As the name hints at, Purell is an eco-friendly disinfectant that can be used on multiple surfaces within your home or business. So, you can rest at ease knowing that this powerful germ killing spray uses no harsh chemicals and has the lowest allowable EPA toxicity rating.
With a light citrus scent, Purell is formulated for use on various hard and soft surfaces throughout the home, from kids’ toys to food-prep surfaces, with no rinse needed.
The one disadvantage to this product is the scent. Many customers complain that the citrus smell is overpowering and irritates their nose. Because of this, some customers opt for the non-scented version.
Product Breakdown
Price: $16.98 for a pack of 2, 28 Oz spray bottles
Specific uses: Proven effective across most hard and soft surfaces. Works on sealed granite,
glass, laminate, and plastics.
Scented: Yes (Citrus), but comes in non-scented as well
Effectiveness: Kills 99.9% of germs
Contact time: Offers rapid kill time, killing Hepatitis A in 60 seconds and the Flu virus, Salmonella, Strep, and COVID in 30 seconds. For general cleaning, let stand for 20 seconds after spraying.
3 – Seventh Generation Professional Disinfecting Multi-Purpose Cleaner
Formulated without the use of bleach or synthetic fragrances, this disinfectant spray is both effective and good for the environment. No wonder it has been growing in popularity recently.
Couple these things with the fact that it works on multiple surfaces (including glass), and deodorizes, and you have a winner.
One drawback to this product is that for it to be effective, you have to let it sit for 10 minutes after spraying it on surfaces. This can be inconvenient for those with busy households.
Product Breakdown
Price: $49.88 for a pack of 2, 256 oz (about 7.57 L) containers
Specific uses: You can use this spray to sanitize multiple surfaces, including glass. It’s most commonly used as a kitchen cleaner.
Scented: Yes (Lemongrass Citrus)
Effectiveness: Kills 99.99% of germs
Contact time: To be effective, you must spray this product on surfaces and let it sit for 10 minutes. Allow it to air dry. No rinsing or wiping is needed.
2 – CleanSmart Daily Surface Cleaner
Coming in at number two on our list is a unique product that uses just two ingredients to clean: Hypochlorous and water. Hypo what? Hahy-puh-klawr-uh s. This strange sounding agent is what scientists like to call, nature’s germ killer. Naturally unstable (this is a good thing!), hypochlorous does its job quickly and then reverts back to saline.
This makes it safe to spray on just about any surface, including areas around food. It has a faint, nearly undetectable natural scent that some users equate with a spa or beach. Others say it has a light bleach smell.
The only major downside to this product is that because of its naturally unstable nature, it has a shelf like of only 12 months. So, if you decide to buy this product, use it daily so it doesn’t expire on you.
Product Breakdown
Price: $15.99 for a pack of 2, 23 Oz spray bottles
Specific uses: Can be used to sanitize multiple surfaces but is generally used on countertops, appliances, floors, sinks, and cutting boards.
Scented: No (Fragrance-free).
Effectiveness: Kills 99.9% of viruses and breaks down to saline solution after it kills viruses and bacteria.
Contact time: Let stand for 60 seconds.
1 – SteraMist by TOMI Environmental Solutions
Last on our list but first in effectiveness is SteraMist. This is not your average disinfectant. It’s an EPA-registered solution and fogger featuring a 7.8% hydrogen peroxide sole active ingredient. SteraMist brings you unparalleled material compatibility with a wide variety of use sites including hospitals, schools, nursing homes, residences, restaurants, and more.
How exactly does it work? Well, it employs the use of ionized Hydrogen Peroxide (iHP) technology creates natural, powerful particles that spread as a fine mist throughout large and small areas, reaching the toughest spots and goes far beyond manual cleaning and other
disinfection methods. Even better, there’s no wiping or rinsing needed, it’s odorless, leaves no residue, is non-corrosive, and kills all known bacteria in 5 seconds.
On the downside, you won’t be able to pick it up at your local grocery store. You have the choice of buying the equipment for your home/business, or contacting your local SteraMist provider and scheduling a time for them to disinfect your home or business
Product Breakdown
Price: Contact your local Steramist provider for a free quote
Specific uses: Because it’s deployed as a fog, Steramist will sanitize and disinfect your entire home or business, getting into hard to reach areas.
Scented: No (Odorless).
Effectiveness: SteraMist is proven to kill all known bacteria (including the Coronavirus), spores, and inactivate all known viruses on surfaces by a “six log” or 99.9999% reduction, the highest standard.
Contact time: 5 seconds
In Conclusion
That concludes our list! I hope that the next time you’re looking for cleaning supplies that will sanitize and disinfect your home, you don’t get stuck on run-of-the-mill products like Lysol or Clorox wipes. They aren’t a bad choice, but as this list proved, there are safer and more
powerful cleaning options for you, your family, and your home.